Japanese Steakhouse Approved for Vacant Lot Near Camp Bowie

The Fort Worth City Council on October 27 approved plans from Colorado-based Aspen Hospitality Group to open a 2,396-square-foot Japanese steakhouse at 2509 Merrick Street, near Camp Bowie Boulevard in west Fort Worth. The site, north of Interstate 30 at the Merrick and Birchman Avenue intersection, has been a vacant lot since the prior building was demolished earlier this year. The restaurant's name and menu are still being developed.

The developer asked to amend the planned development zoning to allow neighborhood commercial uses. Because the site sits within 250 feet of two-family zoning, the city's parking minimums apply. Officials granted a waiver for 19 spaces where 24 are required, and the developer has a deal for five spaces from an adjacent owner. That agreement ends if the restaurant sits vacant for more than 180 days without a building permit. Zoning staff also granted a waiver allowing a masonry front-yard fence up to 4 feet tall.

Council member Macy Hill praised the developer's work with neighbors on parking, and no one spoke in opposition at the meeting. The project comes weeks after a nearby restaurant proposal at the former Roy Pope Grocery building drew neighborhood objections over parking.

For developers and financiers, the case shows how a small commercial infill site near residential zoning can clear approval through negotiated parking agreements and fence waivers, though time-limited off-site parking terms add ongoing risk.